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It’s Not About Money in Pettitte Wait

Seven weeks after Andy Pettitte’s season ended with the Yankees, he is no closer to deciding if he will return and pitch for them again next season. Tom Pettitte, Andy’s father, said yesterday that Pettitte has not determined if he will retire or rejoin the Yankees for his 14th major league season.

“He’s so torn right now,” Tom Pettitte said. “Everybody knows that he was done last year and he didn’t want to play because he wanted to be with his kids. That’s what this is all about. He’s not looking for more money or anything.”

As the Yankees try to obtain Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins, they are hoping that Pettitte, the other veteran left-hander who would look sharp in their rotation, eventually returns. Pettitte was 15-9 with a 4.05 earned run average last season, including an 11-3 mark after the All-Star Game break.

Hank Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ senior vice president, said the team’s pursuit of Santana is not connected to Pettitte’s situation. Although Manager Joe Girardi has talked to Pettitte, his former teammate, about returning, the Yankees have mostly been content to let Pettitte decompress and maybe find his way back to them.

Jorge Posada, the Yankees’ catcher who speaks to Pettitte about once a week, said in a conference call yesterday that the 35-year-old Pettitte, who first joined the Yankees in 1995, is “leaning toward retirement.” Posada said he hoped he could persuade Pettitte, who declined a $16 million option earlier this month so he would have more time to make a decision, to pitch an other season.

Photo

Andy Pettitte had a 15-9 record last season, including 11-3 after the All-Star Game break.Credit
Barton Silverman/The New York Times

“It’s tough that he’s thinking this way, but we’re going to try to push him and give him that competitive edge he needs still,” Posada said. “Hopefully, when it comes February, we’ll see him around.”

With or without Santana, the Yankees could use Pettitte’s experience and talent. Chein-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina will be back and Joba Chamberlain will move from a setup role to the rotation. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are the other candidates to start, if neither is traded for Santana. If the Yankees fail to acquire Santana and Pettitte retires, they would have three starters — Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy — who are in their first full seasons, which could be somewhat daunting.

Tom Pettitte said Andy had not mentioned the Yankees’ pursuit of Santana and had also been mum as Alex Rodriguez, Posada and Mariano Rivera all agreed to return. But Tom Pettitte said Andy’s silence about the Yankees’ off-season decisions was not unusual.

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“When I talk to him, I don’t even ask him about baseball,” Tom Pettitte said. “When he’s with me, he’s looking for a place to release. He doesn’t want to talk about baseball.”

On most days, Tom Pettitte said, Andy attends football practices for his sons, Josh and Jared. Jared’s team in Deer Park, Tex., is playing in a championship game this weekend. Besides attending practices and games, Tom Pettitte said, Andy also goes hunting.

Pettitte, who has 201 career victories and four World Series rings, typically joined Roger Clemens for intense off-season workouts. But Tom Pettitte said that his son was spending most of his time with his wife, Laura, and their four children and had not been working out like someone preparing for another season.

“He’s taking some time off,” Tom Pettitte said.

Posada said his longtime teammate would make a decision in January, but Tom Pettitte would not speculate about any timetable. If Andy was ready to talk about his future, the father said that he would listen. In the end, it will be Andy’s decision.

“I guess if he hadn’t had as much success as he’s had or accomplished as much as he’s accomplished, I don’t know, it might be different,” Tom Pettitte said. “He’s pretty much accomplished everything he wanted to.”